Some of us so-called "Bigfoot Skeptics" understand that a key to teaching critical thinking is to hit on a topic people have interest. Almost everyone has an opinion about Bigfoot! Around a quarter of the population entertain the idea that it is a real creature.

Paranormal topics lend themselves to discussion of evidence, logic, reason and the scientific consensus. They are great examples to use. Not all of us focus on quackery or debunking charlatans, we focus on what we are familiar with. If we can use illustrative examples to get people to think about weird things in a new way, we've made great strides.

Here is a panel discussion with me, Donald Prothero, Daniel Loxton and moderated by Blake Smith of the MonsterTalk podcast. Dr. Prothero begins with a presentation on cryptids and strange creatures and the need to apply sound science to such questionable claims. Then, we chat about why we do what we do.

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SWIFTis named after Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels. In the book, Gulliver encounters among other things a floating island inhabited by spaced-out scientists and philosophers who hardly deal with reality. Swift was among the first to launch well-designed critiques against the flummery - political, philosophical, and scientific - of his time, a tradition that we hope to maintain at The James Randi Foundation.